**DONOTDELETE**
New Member
Hello everybody,
I am currently a student at Pan Am international Flight Academy (PAIFA) in Phoenix Arizona. I have read most of the posts put up by other people and have some opinions of my own. I got my private at an FBO and came to Pan Am because they sell an image of professionalism and make you feel assured that going to Pan Am is the best and quickest way to the professional level. I felt that those were benefits worth paying for. Sadly, however, I myself along with several (majority) other student that I am friends with feel like we were misled. I think Pan Am tries to do what they advertise but it is not happening. I'll list several things that I do not like about Pan Am:
1- Very expensive and for 90% of the students much more than estimated. Something definetely worth thinking about.
2- Most chief flight instructors I belief are way rude, arrogant, and are not people you want to go ask questions to. Must note: Beth Ann is a great lady.
3- The school is foremost a business and secondly a school. I never feel like they actually care about me or my succes. The only thing I feel they care about is making money. Very frustrating!!
4-Ground schools for me, with the exception of instrument, have been horrific. I would try to get my money back but that would be impossibe I'm sure because I have no doubt that somewhere in the 20 pages of the contract I signed would forbid me to do so.
5-That brings up the contract issue. Do not sign up for everything at once because then you are bound to the school unless you want pay a 2000 dollar fee. It is possible to pay per rating unless that has been recently changed. Furthermore, the contract really got me angry because I never saw it until had moved down there and then I was expected to sign it right away in the office the first 10 minutes I was there. I feel like they pressure the contract on you.
6- Flight instruction is not exceptionally great. It's not bad, but dont go to Pan Am because your expecting the instructors to be much better than anywhere else. They hire from ATP and other places so that to me means that you get the same education there as you would at Pan Am.
7- Pan Am does not deliver what it promises. It is not that fast and the education is not much superior than to an FBO; not for the money anyway!
8- I havent seen anybody get hired on by anybody but by Airnet. Not that Airnet is all that bad, but all the talk about partnerships with regionals I think is just a bunch of BS. Maybe they do have partnerships, but nobody is getting hired on by them.
9- Last, I have my doubts about the ACE program. For 7k you do not get to log more than 30 hours in the CRJ and I wonder what it really does for me. Besides, the new contract makes it so that you have to do the ace before your instructor ratings. That means, you do ACE and then have like at least a year lapse until you would actually apply the skills learned. Also, its taught by people that I feel are underqualified. They have no real CRJ experience and I am sure that they probably dont have more than 400 hours a piece. Also, for 7k you could by a lot of twin time and how much does it cost to get a type rating in a jet??
Anyways, I am not writing this to bash Pan Am. I am sure that most big flight schools are all the same. Furthermore, I am not whining, I do not like to whine but I feel that this is all true and needs to be said. BOTTEM LINE, I would not recommend my friends to go to Pan Am. They are not personable, nor faster, and most of all not worth the money. Now, having said that, I have no idea what other schools are like so maybe Pan Am is not all that bad but do your homework. I hope that this helps.
Sincerely,
flyer
I am currently a student at Pan Am international Flight Academy (PAIFA) in Phoenix Arizona. I have read most of the posts put up by other people and have some opinions of my own. I got my private at an FBO and came to Pan Am because they sell an image of professionalism and make you feel assured that going to Pan Am is the best and quickest way to the professional level. I felt that those were benefits worth paying for. Sadly, however, I myself along with several (majority) other student that I am friends with feel like we were misled. I think Pan Am tries to do what they advertise but it is not happening. I'll list several things that I do not like about Pan Am:
1- Very expensive and for 90% of the students much more than estimated. Something definetely worth thinking about.
2- Most chief flight instructors I belief are way rude, arrogant, and are not people you want to go ask questions to. Must note: Beth Ann is a great lady.
3- The school is foremost a business and secondly a school. I never feel like they actually care about me or my succes. The only thing I feel they care about is making money. Very frustrating!!
4-Ground schools for me, with the exception of instrument, have been horrific. I would try to get my money back but that would be impossibe I'm sure because I have no doubt that somewhere in the 20 pages of the contract I signed would forbid me to do so.
5-That brings up the contract issue. Do not sign up for everything at once because then you are bound to the school unless you want pay a 2000 dollar fee. It is possible to pay per rating unless that has been recently changed. Furthermore, the contract really got me angry because I never saw it until had moved down there and then I was expected to sign it right away in the office the first 10 minutes I was there. I feel like they pressure the contract on you.
6- Flight instruction is not exceptionally great. It's not bad, but dont go to Pan Am because your expecting the instructors to be much better than anywhere else. They hire from ATP and other places so that to me means that you get the same education there as you would at Pan Am.
7- Pan Am does not deliver what it promises. It is not that fast and the education is not much superior than to an FBO; not for the money anyway!
8- I havent seen anybody get hired on by anybody but by Airnet. Not that Airnet is all that bad, but all the talk about partnerships with regionals I think is just a bunch of BS. Maybe they do have partnerships, but nobody is getting hired on by them.
9- Last, I have my doubts about the ACE program. For 7k you do not get to log more than 30 hours in the CRJ and I wonder what it really does for me. Besides, the new contract makes it so that you have to do the ace before your instructor ratings. That means, you do ACE and then have like at least a year lapse until you would actually apply the skills learned. Also, its taught by people that I feel are underqualified. They have no real CRJ experience and I am sure that they probably dont have more than 400 hours a piece. Also, for 7k you could by a lot of twin time and how much does it cost to get a type rating in a jet??
Anyways, I am not writing this to bash Pan Am. I am sure that most big flight schools are all the same. Furthermore, I am not whining, I do not like to whine but I feel that this is all true and needs to be said. BOTTEM LINE, I would not recommend my friends to go to Pan Am. They are not personable, nor faster, and most of all not worth the money. Now, having said that, I have no idea what other schools are like so maybe Pan Am is not all that bad but do your homework. I hope that this helps.
Sincerely,
flyer
